G Freden

I fermented garlic stems last year;  one in a kimchi type brine and the other just a salt water brine.  Not the garlic scapes but the actual fibrous stems.  I haven't tried with onion tops but I would definitely be willing to, based on how tasty the garlic tops were.  I cut mine into long lengths but ended up needing to chop them up fine before adding to my dishes.  Really good in salads and on cooked vegetables.



Like others have suggested, I too find a bag of frozen chopped leek/onion tops to be a very handy thing.  I wash, chop and load into the freezer bag.  

I love my ducks;  they are the ultimate slug and snail predator, and they are not destructive amongst the plants like chickens are.  However as I recently learned, they may not be ideal as urban livestock:
https://permies.com/t/371325/Noisy-ducks-waking-neighbours

Here they are, enjoying some free range harmoniously.

Yes, there are weed and grass seeds in the stable bedding, and I do get a lot sprouting.  However, it's the persistent couch grass that won't die.  Everyone on site has it (and bindweed/morning glory too!) and the only few people who have it in check are the ones with tall raised beds--like waist height--and black plastic on the ground.  That's not my style, and I know I get more yields than they do, even with the grass.  My soil is better and I have more growing space.

It's been a few years but I'm still battling the grass at my allotment!  I've given up trying to dig it out and just sheet mulch every year.  It grows back every year no matter what I do, and sheet mulch is less work than digging.  I do some light digging if I replant a bed during the same season--for instance when my broad beans finish next month I'll clear the bed of as many roots as I can, and replant immediately with leeks.  But when the leeks are finished at the end of the season I'll sheet mulch again.

Compare this photo (taken in April 2026) with the second photo in my previous post, with my small daughter (she's now 6).  In the years since, I've almost quintupled my yearly food production (according to my records, I grew 129 lb of veg in 2021 and 578 lb in 2025).  Big winners have been squash and tomatoes:  last year approximately 100 lb each!  

Another repair!  My Tefal upright airfryer stopped reliably turning on.  After some poking around, I discovered there's a connection between the door and the airfryer that turns it on:  the door has the male connection and the airfryer has the female.  But the plastic extruding bit had worn away on the door and wasn't properly connecting.  It was as easy as ordering a new door and fitting it (no assembly required):  we were all amazed that after weeks of pushing and prodding and poking to get it to run, it now starts with just a touch again.

Thanks Jay;  the flock is mostly integrated now, after a rocky start.  I wanted the newbies to be familiar with the whole garden and their new life, so initially I was keeping the mated pair locked up in their yard while they free ranged all day;  then everyone locked up in two separate yards overnight.  After about a week of this, the drake began breaking out of his yard in the middle of the night and into the newbies' (my small daughter was convinced he flew in and out).  After several nights of this, we just began locking them all up together, in the newbies' yard.  The original duck was very confused about being herded into this new yard, but the drake knew exactly where to go!

Now a month on, they all free range together and sleep in the same yard overnight.  I've seen them all peacefully wandering about, and have even collected the first two eggs.  I still hear the occasional quack during the day, but much less often, and for much shorter duration.  And the drake sometimes still chases them, but they seem to be less bothered about it.

I didn't get any complaint from the other neighbour--we are pretty sure his bedroom is at the front of the house, like mine (I can't hear them at all).  And nothing from the first neighbour either, so hopefully everyone is sleeping fine.

One more Ikea duvet cover!  I love finding these in charity shops as they are usually 100% cotton.  Here are our matching dresses (and Barbie got one too, not pictured)!

Looks good.  Will you be able to add the pockets, maybe at the side seams?  

I made myself some jammies out of an old Ikea duvet cover I bought at a charity shop last summer:  100% cotton seersucker.  I made my small daughter a matching pair, and then her Barbie a pair too (photos not included).  I copied the top from a pair I already own and the bottoms from a trousers pattern, shortened (also bought at a charity shop).  My daughter's and Barbie's pairs I drafted from scratch, after watching multiple youtube videos.  

I enjoyed making and wearing them so much, I've made two more pairs of longie jammies in the same style;  from a flower print Ikea flannel sheet, and from a plain lavender flannel sheet, again both charity shop finds.